The subject matter herein relates generally to connector assemblies.
Radio frequency (RF) connector assemblies have been used for numerous applications including military applications and automotive applications, such as global positioning systems (GPS), antennas, radios, mobile phones, multimedia devices, and the like. The connector assemblies are typically coaxial cable connectors that are provided at the end of coaxial cables.
In order to standardize various types of connector assemblies, particularly the interfaces for such connector assemblies, certain industry standards have been established. One of these standards is referred to as FAKRA, which is an abbreviation for the German term Fachnormenausschuss Kraftfahrzeugindustrie. FAKRA is the Automotive Standards Committee in the German Institute for Standardization, representing international standardization interests in the automotive field. The FAKRA standard provides a system, based on keying and color coding, for proper connector attachment. Specific jack keys can only be connected to like plug keyways in FAKRA connectors. Secure positioning and locking of connector housings is facilitated by way of a FAKRA defined catch on the housing of a jack or first assembly and a cooperating latch on the housing of a plug or second assembly.
The connector assemblies include a center contact and an outer contact that provides shielding for the center contact. The connector assemblies also include an outer housing that includes a mating interface for coupling to a mating connector to allow the center and outer contacts to electrically engage corresponding center and outer mating contacts of the mating connector. The outer contact, with the center contact therein, is received within a cavity of the outer housing. A cavity insert is typically used to retain the outer contact within the cavity of the outer housing. The cavity insert is an adapter that may allow the outer contact to be compatible with various different outer housings.
Typically, the cavity insert is loaded onto the outer contact by sliding the cavity insert over an end of the outer contact. Usually the cavity insert is loaded over a rear or cable end of the outer contact which has a smaller diameter than a front or mating end of the outer contact. The cable end of the outer contact is configured to be terminated to a cable. As the diameter of the cable that terminates to the outer contact increases, the diameter of the cable end of the outer contact must increase to receive the cable therein. However, it may not be feasible to increase the diameter of the cavity insert to allow the cavity insert to fit over the cable end and/or mating end due to space restrictions within the outer housings. A need remains for a connector assembly that can accommodate larger diameter cables and still allow a cable insert to be loaded over the outer contact for retaining the outer contact within an outer housing.